Matchday Thread: Port Vale v Notts County

[valiant_593]

Yes we're bottom and I don't like it. But it's September and we're 5 games in. Acting after 5 games would be rash.

 

It wouldn't be rash at all. It's been woeful we don't even shoot, create no chances, can't defend etc. There hasn't been one positive and his interview after the match really proved how useless he is. Claiming how we played attacking football and supported pope well.

 

Alls that will happen if we give him time is 'we're ten games in we're still bottom'.

He needs to go.

[TheSage]

I don't think Brown believes that Turner is good enough (yet) to start regularly and so our attacking options are limited. Forrester, Pyke and Barnett were all injured so we are already struggling in that department. Sadly it seems as if we might have to forget about Forrester which is a pity as he has some ability but just can't seem to get fit and play more than three games in a row. So that's a blow. I guess they all thought that the treatment he had during the summer would do the trick but it hasn't. I don't suppose they expected Barnett to get a bad injury either. I'm not aware he is injury prone and he's played a lot of league games. Pyke is a young lad who might get the odd strain now and again. Once 2/3 of these lads are fit it gives us far better attacking options, with one alongside Pope and the other joining Turner on the bench. It should help us a lot.

 

The back four is an interesting one because what is happening at the moment is that many of them are making an odd individual error and getting punished for it. Wilson against Wycombe. Davis was the wrong side his man on Saturday. Lainton ought to have claimed the ball. Kay has been dodgy for me. Denton perhaps against Crewe. It's a familiar pattern when your team is struggling and when we are making so many changes week in, week out. We badly need a settled team for a few weeks to give them a chance to gel and to develop partnerships. But another problem we've got, for me, is that many of them are much of a muchness and it's hard to say if X is necessarily better than Y. A lot are of similar ability.

 

There is enough there for us to climb the league. It is very early to call for change.

 

But I said on Saturday as you have done above that we need to put square pegs in square holes and play lads who are in form not just because they looked like good signings on paper in the summer.

 

I'd name two full backs from now on and consider, if he's any cop, playing the big lad from Burnley alongside Smith.

I'd have two up front, nearly always.

Worrall should start and possibly we need a player like Middleton/Tonge/Pugh (when fit)alongside. I'd go with just the one winger to make us a bit more solid and on present form that would be Harness for me (before the disappointing Monty). The other one? Whitfield or De Freitas.

 

That kind of line up is easily good enough to do ok but will take time still to mould together and to develop, time that a lot of fans are no longer prepared to give to the manager. We were a bit unlucky on Saturday and perhaps deserved a point as we did in the second half last week. It's fine margins and although I too have been frustrated with Brown and his odd tactics I'm not writing this team off. There is a long way to go.